Process of making hair cloth



Feb. 27, 1934. G. TAYLOR PROCESS OF MAKING HAIR CLOTH Filed May 9, 1931 are Patented Feb. 27, 1934 :UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ice l QROCESS 0F MAKING H AIB GITH George Taylor', Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 9, i931. Serial No. 536,288

-SClainm This invention relates to the manufacture of hair cloth. In weaving hair cloth, natural hair, taken from the tail of a horse, is commonly employed as the weft and the width of the fabric is d limited to the maximum length of the available hair, it being` noted that each strand of hair extends the full width of the fabrimfrom selvage to selvage thereof. Natural horse haimdoes not exceed 36 inches in length and the necessary allowance for variations in the length of the strands and allowance for the slippers oi the shuttle which draws the hairs one at a. time'through the open warp shed, reduces the actual widtlrfci the nished fabric considerably below the length of the hair; for example, when using :it inchhair the width of the fabric is approximately inches. In most "cases, however, r36 inch hair is not obtainable .andbonseq e tly the width ofthe fabric runs from 20 to f2s-inches. @I The object of this invention is to produce a hair cloth fabric having a width substantially greater than the maximum length oi natural vhorse hair obtainable; for example, hair clotlii'abric having a width of 54 inches more or less, whichmakes the fabric adaptable for use in the upholstering of large pieces of overstuffed furniture, etc., where the use of hair cloth is extremely desirable from the point of service, appearance. etc. Prior to this invention the use ofhair cloth as the unholstery for such large pieces of furniture was impossible, due to the relatively narrow width of the hair cloth obtainable.

Hair cloth has been commonly used in the past in upholstering smaller pieces of furniture and in certain automobiles where the narrower fabric could be used to advantage.

Natural horse hair is no t uniform in diameter throughout its entire length, the butt end of the hair being slightly larger in diameter than the outer end of the hair. Another object ofthe invention is to provide hair which will be uniform throughoutits entire length whereby the entire area of the finished fabric will have a uniform appearance.

These objects are obtained by using a synthetic horse hair, in the present instance composed of a cellulose filament, having a diameter substantially the same as natural horse hair, and being of the general character and composition as what is generally known on the market as rayon."

The cellulose filament employed in the present instance is of a considerably heavier gage than the cellulose threads commonly used in the manufacture of knitted or woven artincial silk fabrics and 55 is therefore o f a relatively stiller nature, which (ci. es-n prevents oi' its being wound on bobbins or formed into cops, such as are employed in shuttles used .in the weaving of textile fabrics in general. If zwound onto a bobbin or intoa cop the tendency,

of the heavier gage cellulose nlament is to un- 00 wind ina manner similar to a coil of fine spring .wire and furthermore, in being so wound, the cellulose filament assumes the nature of a series of convolutions, which destroys its value asl a weft in the manufacture of hair cloth wherein the weft c5' must be straight and relatively stid.

A further object of the invention therefore resides in the preparation ci' the cellulose :diamant to eliminate all kinks or undulations from the filament, in order that it will be straight and adaptable for use in an ordinary hair cloth loom to be handled by the hair-selecting mechanism of the loom, in the same manner asnatural horse y hair is handled at the present time. For this purpose, I employ a loom similar to that shown u and described in my prior United.' States Letters Patent No. 805,806, dated April 10, 1907. The only modication made in the loom. disclosed in this patent is that the lay, 4breast beam, and similar elements extending transversely of the loom 30 are increased in length, in order to accommodate the wider fabric, no modication of the operating elements of the loom being necessary.

Thepreparation of the cellulose lament will be more fully described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic face view of a small piece of fabric made in accordance with the princlples of this invention:

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic warn-wise section 00 taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is 'a diagrammatic view of a skein of cellulose lament as it is purchased on the open market:

Fig. ris an elevation of a frame showingthe 95 skein of cellulose filament thereon, in the first step of the course o f preparation of the filament for weaving purposes Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the skein of filament in a subsequent stage of the preparation;

Figs. 6 to 11 inclusive show other subsequent steps in preparing the filament for the loom:

Fig. 12 diagrammatically illustrates the dlament encased in a protective covering ready for 106 placement in the loom to weave the fabric: and

Fig. 13 is a transverse section taken on the line lil-18, Fig. 12.

Referring to Fig. 3, a skein cellulose diamant is 'generally illustrated at A, said skein being com- 110 posed usually of one continuous filament a loosely coiled in the manner illustrated. Such filament, as it is purchased on the market, has an inherent stiffness or spring-like nature and is of a more or less wavy formation, the undulations being relatively long as illustrated at a1, F18. 3.

The filament as purchased on the open market is of a neutral color and before it is woven or otherwise formed into a finished fabric the filament must undergo a dyeing process. When the skein of lament is dampened or wet, as in dyeing, the convolutions of the filament a -immedlately form into a series of relatively small undulations or kinks as illustrated at a2 in Fig. 4.

In order to remove these and all other undulations and kinks from the dampened filament, and to produce in the filament a straight condition, similar to horse hair, the apparatus shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is employed.

For the purpose of illustrating this straightening process the frame, illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, may be described as comprising, an upper rail 1 rigidly supported in any suitable manner, such for' example as by vertically extending posts 2, 2, and a lower rail 3 which is. adjustable vertically with respect to the upper rail 1 as and for the purpose hereinafter described. Obviously the rails 1 and 3 may be disposed in a common horizontal plane if desired.

On the rail 1 is a skein support, which in the present instance comprises a laterally extending hook, pin or peg 4, and on the lower rail 3 is a similar hook, pin or peg 5. The moistened skein A is placed on the upper support 4 and around the lower support 5 in the manner illustrated'in Pig. 4. The lower rail 3 is then dropped of its own weight or force downwardly, if desired, to tighten the skein A between the supports 4 and 5 against the inherent tendency of the filament v to form into the small undulations a2.

Pins 6, 6 or other corresponding means is provided for securing the lower rail 3 in a relatively fixed position with respect to the upper rail 1 in the present instance The lower rail 3 is shown as being provided with openings '7 for the reception of the pins 6 and the uprights 2, 2 are likewise provided with openings 8, 8 into which the pins 6, 8 extend for the purpose of preventing vertical movement of the support 5 as the filaments a of the skein A shrink in drying. As the filament a dries it shrinks considerably, but due to the relatively fixed positioning of the supports 4 and 5 the shrinking of the filaments a places the' skein A under extremely high tension. The skein A is permitted to stand until thoroughly dried and due to the high tension produced by the shrinking of the nlaments-all semblance of undulations or kinks is removed from the nlament, consequently the filament assumes and maintains a straight condition thereafter, such as illustrated at a3 in Fig. 5.

After the skein is thoroughly dried, the pins 6 are released, permitting the support 5 to be moved toward and support 4 in order that the skeinpmay be removed from the supports 4 and 5, the skein then having the appearance illustrated in Fig. 8 comprising gipups of straight parallel filaments a3, aa connected by cm'ved portions a, a* at the opposite ends of the dried skein. The parallel groups of straight filaments a. a are then bound togetheras illustrated at b. b in Fig. 7, after which the curved ends a4, a4 of the skein are severed outside the bindings b. b

illustratedinlill.8:thusthckeinditem1- verted into a bundle of individual parallel strands as illustrated at B in Fig. 8.

In order to insure the parallel relationship of the mdivluai strands or the bundle B the said bundle is then put through a combing operation, the comb being diagrammatically illustrated at 10 in Fig. 9, one of the end bindings b being removed and the opposite end remaining bound as illustrated in Fig. 9, after which a relative longitudinal movement of the comb with respect to the bundleA of filaments B is effected toward the unbound end of the bundle. After thorough comb- 'ing of this one end the binding b is then applied to the combed end and the binding b at the opposite end of the bundle is then removed and the combing operation repeated. Such combing of the bundle of filaments B insures parallel relationship of the individual nlaments or strands and eliminates any twisting of the individual strands which may have occurred during the previous steps in the process. The combing also removes any strands that may contain knots such as have been made in the filament a during the winding or reeling thereof into the skein A.

After the bundle of filaments B has been thoroughly combed and the end bindings b, b have been applied in the manner illustrated in Fig. 10

intermediate bindings b1, b1 are applied in the manner and at the places illustrated in Fig. 10, to prevent any subsequent twisting or tangling of the strands in the bundle.

Due to the severing of the curved portions a4, a4 of the bundle B, as illustrated in Fig. 8, the laments comprising the bundle B are not of uniform length and the ends teyond the bindings b, b 1.10 1.

respectively are somewhat curved, and in order to remove the curved ends and to make all the strands in the bundle the same length the irregular ends of the bundle are cut of! in the manner illustrated at a5 in Fig. 11.

The bundle Bis then placed in a suitable casing, such as illustrated in Fig. 12. This covering may be of a tubular nature, or it may be in the form of a sheet in which the bundle is laid and rolled as illustrated in Figs. l2 and 13, with the opposite edges of the sheet overlapping t0 form a substantially tubular cover around the bundle B, suitable straps or other bindings c being provided to secure the casing in position.

The binding b adjacent the end of the bundle, which is left protruding from the open end of the casing C is then removed. The other bindings b1 and the binding b at the opposite end of the bundle B may be permitted to remain around the bundle, if desired, but preferably these bindings are-removed before the bundle is enclosed within the casing C. In any event the casing C provides a protective covering for the bundle, preventing any tangling or breaking of the filaments in the handling of the bundle while it is being placed in the hair trough of the loom, such as illustrated in the patent above noted.

The bundle of filaments in the condition shown in Fig. 12 is then ready for placement in the loom,

wherein the individual strands are picked up one In Figs.y land 2, a common over-one-underone weave is shown, merely for the purpose of illustration, but it will be understood that any desired weave may be employed such as are common in natural-hair cloth, for the production of patterns or otherdesign effects in the fabric to make it suitable for upholstery purposes, the plain weave fabrics, such as illustrated in Figs. l and 2,

being commonly employed as a stiifening agent in the making of mens and womens coats and other wearing apparel where a foundation is provided. l

In order to make 'the fabric more suitable for upholstery and similar purposes, I provide on the one face of the fabric a suitable backing z. This backing may be of any desired nature and of any desired color to produce a suitable background for the superposed design. Preferably this backing fabric is of a water-proof nature. The backing e is preferably secured to the one face of the hair cloth fabric by the use of any suitable adhesive such as a flexible cement or glue which may be purchased on the open market.

Cellulose filaments usually have a high lustre and it has been observed that the shrinking under restriction as above noted tends to accentuate the lustre and cause it to take on an appearance which so closely resembles the appearance of natural horse hair that it is practically impossible to differentiate between the two without resorting to scientific analysis.

From the above, it will be quite obvious that the wefts may be made to any length desired and the width of the fabric will be limited only by the width of the loorn on which the fabric is to be woven.

I claim:

1.,The process for preparingcellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening of the filament in skein, stretching the skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form and set the skein into groups of straight substantially parallel strands interconnected by end portions engaged by said supports, and removing the said end portions, to provide separate rectilinear strands.

2. The process for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening the filament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into groups of straight substantially parallel strands, binding Ithe dried elongated skein adjacent the opposite ends thereof, and severing the connections between the parallel groups to form g the skein into a bundle of individual strands.

3. The process-for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening the filament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into groups of straight substantially parallel strands,

binding the dried elongated skein adjacent the.

opposite ends thereof, severing the connections between the parallel groups to form the skein into a bundle of individual strands, releasing the binding at one end of the'bundle, and combing the bundle toward itsl opposite end to eliminate twisting of the individual strands.

4. The process for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening the lament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into groups of straight substantially paral-l lel strands, binding the dried elongated skein adjacent the opposite ends thereof, severing the connections between the parallel groups to form the skein into a bundle of individual strands, releasing the binding at one end of the bundle, combing the bundle toward its opposite end to eliminate twisting of the individual strands, rebinding the one end, releasing the binding at the opposite end, and repeating the combing operation. i.

5. The process for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening the filament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into groups of straight substantially parallel strands, binding the dried elongated skein adjacent the opposite ends thereof, severing the connections between the parallel groups to form the skein into a bundle of individual strands, releasing the binding at one end of the bundle, combing the bundle toward its opposite end to eliminate twisting of theindividual strands, rebinding the one end, releasing the binding at the opposite end, repeating the combing operation, and subsequently encasing the combed bundle to prevent entangling of the combed strands during subsequent handlings of the bundle.

6. The process for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the hair cloth type, comprising dampening the filament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into group.: of straight substantially parallel strands, binding the dried elongated skein adjacent the opposite ends thereof, severing the connections between the parallel groups to form the skein into a bundle of individual strands, releasing the binding at one end of the bundle, combing the bundle toward its opposite end to eliminate twisting of the individual strands, rebinding the one end, releasing the binding at the opposite end, repeating the combing operation, rebinding the last said end of the bundle, and cutting the ends of the strands protruding beyond the bindings to produce strands of uniform length.

7. The process for preparing cellulose lament leasing the binding at one end of the bundle,

combingthe bundle toward its opposite vend to eliminate twisting of the individual strands, rebinding the one end, releasing the binding at the opposite end, repeating the combing operation, rebinding the last said end of the bundle, binding the combed bundle intermediate said end bindings to prevent relative movement between the strands, and cutting the ends of the strands protruding beyond the bindings to produce strands of uniform length. i y

8. The process for preparing cellulose filament for use in a fabric of the` hair cloth type, comprising dampening the filament in skein, stretching the dampened skein between a pair of relatively spaced supports until dry, to form the skein into groups of straight substantially parallel strands, binding the dried elongated skein bindings to prevent relative movement between the strands, cutting the ends of the strands protruding beyond the bindings to produce strands of uniform length, removing the bindings from the bundle to free the strands to permit the strands to be picked from the bundle individually, and encasing the bundle to prevent entanglement of the strands during subsequent handlings of the bundle.

GEORGE TAYLOR. 

